California 2016 ballot propositions

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In 2016, eighteen statewide ballot propositions were placed on the ballot in California. One appeared on the June 7, 2016, ballot and was approved. The other 17 propositions were on the November 8, 2016, ballot. Of the 17 propositions, 12 were approved and five were defeated.

Proposition 50 was on the June 7, 2016, ballot and was approved.

Between 1996 and 2016, the average number of propositions that California voters decided each even-numbered year was 18. In previous even-numbered election years, however, the measures were spread out more across different election days throughout the year since citizen initiatives were allowed on primary and special election ballots prior to 2014.

Issues that California electors addressed on the November 8, 2016, ballot included:

* Marijuana legalization
* Gun control
* Healthcare and drug prices
* Condoms in porn
* Plastic bags
* Repealing or altering the death penalty
* Tobacco taxes
* More

HIGHLIGHTS

* Fifteen measures were put on the November ballot by citizens through signature petitions and two by the legislature.

* For the election on November 8, 2016, support and opposition campaigns amassed over $497 million.

* The Los Angeles Times estimated that more than $452 million would be spent directly on ballot measures in California in 2016.

* Californians approved Proposition 64, legalizing marijuana.

Many marijuana legalization initiatives were proposed and circulated in 2016. The Adult Use of Marijuana Act Initiative, now called Proposition 64, emerged early as a clear leader and was the only marijuana-related measure to be certified for the November 2016 ballot.[1][2]

One additional measure, the California $15 per hour Minimum Wage Initiative, was certified for the November ballot but then was withdrawn by proponents on June 23, 2016, after the California State Legislature passed Senate Bill 3, a bill raising the state's minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2022.

## Contents

* 1 On the ballot
* 2 Withdrawn
* 3 Summary of campaign spending
* 4 Cost per required signature
* 5 Newspaper endorsements
* 6 Historical facts
* 7 How measures get on the ballot
* 7.1 Citizen initiatives and veto referendums
* 7.2 Legislative referrals
* 8 Not on the ballot
* 8.1 Initiatives
* 8.2 Cost of processing
* 8.3 Submitted to Attorney General
* 8.4 Cleared for circulation
* 9 State profile
* 9.1 Presidential voting pattern
* 10 Recent news
* 11 External links
* 11.1 Basic information
* 11.2 Other resources
* 12 See also
* 13 Additional reading
* 14 Footnotes

## On the ballot[edit]

June 7:

Type  | Title  | Subject  | Description  | Result

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LRCA | Proposition 50 | Legislature | Require a two-thirds majority to suspend a state legislator  | a

November 8:

Type  | Title  | Subject  | Description  | Result

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CISS | Proposition 51 | Education | $9 billion in bonds for education and schools  | a
CICA/SS | Proposition 52 | Healthcare | Voter approval of changes to the hospital fee program  | a
CICA | Proposition 53 | Elections/Bonds | Projects that cost more than $2 billion  | d
CICA/SS | Proposition 54 | Accountability | Conditions under which legislative bills can be passed  | a
CICA | Proposition 55 | Taxes | Extension of personal income tax on incomes over $250,000  | a
CICA | Proposition 56 | Tobacco | Increase the cigarette tax by $2.00 per pack  | a
CICA/SS | Proposition 57 | Trials | Felons convicted of non-violent crimes and juvenile trials  | a
LRSS |  Proposition 58 | Education | Bilingual education in public schools  | a
AQ | Proposition 59 | Campaign finance | State's position on Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission | a
CISS | Proposition 60 | Movies | Require the use of condoms in pornographic films  | d
CISS | Proposition 61 | Healthcare | Prescription drug price regulations  |
CISS | Proposition 62 | Death penalty | Repeal the death penalty  | d
CISS | Proposition 63 | Firearms | Background checks for ammunition purchases  | a
CISS | Proposition 64 | Marijuana | Legalization of marijuana and hemp  | a
CISS | Proposition 65 | Environment | Grocery and retail carry-out bags  | d
CISS | Proposition 66 | Death penalty | Death penalty procedures  | a
VR |  Proposition 67 | Business reg | Prohibition on plastic single-use carryout bags  | a

## Withdrawn[edit]

See also: List of California ballot initiatives that were withdrawn after signature verification

The campaigns behind the following ballot initiatives collected enough signatures for their measures to appear on the ballot. However, the initiatives were withdrawn.

Type  | Title  | Subject  | Description  | Result

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CISS | $15 Minimum Wage Initiative | Minimum Wage | Increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour |

## Summary of campaign spending[edit]

As of February 1, 2017, support and opposition campaigns amassed $497,026,060.19 in contributions. The Los Angeles Times estimated that, between funding signature gathering efforts and campaigning, more than $452 million would be spent directly on ballot measures in California in 2016.[3]

The campaigns surrounding Proposition 61, an initiative designed to regulate drug prices, had more funding that those surrounding any other ballot proposition. Together, the Proposition 61 campaigns received $128,276,770.21. Opponents outraised supporters six-to-one.

A combined total of $106,506,110.21 was raised in support of or opposition to Proposition 56, an initiative increasing the tobacco tax.

Campaigns involved in Proposition 52 received the third largest amount of funding, at a combined total of $71,845,772.99.

The following chart illustrates how much support and opposition committees amassed in campaign contributions for each measure:

Note: In some cases committees are registered to support or oppose multiple propositions. Ballotpedia lists the total sum committees registered to support or oppose each propositions has received in contributions. This means that the sum of all contributions in the chart below is likely higher than the total amount contributed. For example, the same committee is registered to both support Proposition 66 and oppose Proposition 62, causing some donations to that committee to be duplicated in the chart below. However, the sum contributed discussed in the above text has removed these funds, which amounted to $45,819,887.69. In other words, these donations are not duplicated in the text above.
Ballot Measure:| Support contributions:| Opposition contributions:| Outcome:

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California Proposition 58, Non-English Languages Allowed in Public Education (2016)| $| $| a
California Proposition 64, Marijuana Legalization (2016)| $| $| a
California Proposition 56, Tobacco Tax Increase (2016)| $| $| a
California Proposition 65, Dedication of Revenue from Disposable Bag Sales to Wildlife Conservation Fund (2016)| $| $| d
California Proposition 57, Parole for Non-Violent Criminals and Juvenile Court Trial Requirements (2016)| $| $| a
California Proposition 62, Abolition of Death Penalty Measure (2016)| $| $| d
California Proposition 66, Death Penalty Procedures Measure (2016)| $| $| a
California Proposition 63, Background Checks for Ammunition Purchases and Large-Capacity Ammunition Magazine Ban (2016)| $| $| a
California Proposition 59, Overturn of Citizens United Act Advisory Question (2016)| $| $| a
California Proposition 61, Drug Price Standards Initiative (2016)| $| $| d

## Cost per required signature[edit]

See also: Ballot measure signature costs, 2016 and California ballot initiative petition signature costs

Over $44 million was spent by ballot measure campaigns to get the 15 initiatives and referenda on the 2016 ballot. This amount is much more than was spent in the last decade, likely due in part to the number of measures on the ballot. In 2014, $6 million was spent. In 2012, $28 million was expended.

The cost per required signature (CPRS) is a comparison of the amount of money spent on the petition drive to the number of signatures the state requires for an initiative to make the ballot. Of the 2016 measures, the CPRS was the highest for Proposition 54, with proponents spending $11.31 per required signature. Proposition 52 had the lowest CPRS in California at $2.72 per required signature. The average CPRS of all initiatives and referenda on the ballot was $6.20.

Ballot measure  | Subject  | Signature collection company  | Cost  | Signatures required  | CPRS

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Proposition 51 | Education | National Petition Management, Inc.  | $1,252,534.01  | 365,880  | $3.42
Proposition 52 | Healthcare | Arno Political Consultants and The Monaco Group  | $2,192,811.85  | 807,615  | $2.72
Proposition 53 | Gov't Finance | National Petition Management, Inc.  | $2,669,093.95  | 585,407  | $4.56
Proposition 54 | Gov't Acc | National Petition Management, Inc.  | $6,622,935.93  | 585,407  | $11.31
Proposition 55 | Taxes | Kimball Petition Management, Inc. and Million Voter Project Action Fund  | $4,236,577.66  | 585,407  | $7.24
Proposition 56 | Tobacco | Boven Consulting, Kimball Petition Management, Inc., Bridge Street, Inc. and Million Voter Project Action Fund  | $4,524,176.13  | 585,407  | $7.73
Proposition 57 | Trials | Kimball Petition Management, Inc. and Groundwork Campaigns, Inc.  | $4,818,267.20  | 585,407  | $8.23
Proposition 60 | Movies | PCI Consultants, Inc. and The Monaco Group  | $1,409,273.68  | 365,880  | $3.85
Proposition 61 | Healthcare | PCI Consultants, Inc.  | $1,355,765.65  | 365,880  | $3.36
Proposition 62 | Death Penalty | PCI Consultants, Inc.  | $3,192,775.30  | 365,880  | $8.73
Proposition 63 | Firearms | PCI Consultants, Inc.  | $2,228,384.05  | 365,880  | $6.09
Proposition 64 | Marijuana | Kimball Petition Management, Inc.  | $2,093,616.10  | 365,880  | $5.72
Proposition 65 | Environment | National Petition Management, Inc.  | $2,137,992.45  | 365,880  | $5.84
Proposition 66 | Death Penalty | National Petition Management, Inc. and The Monaco Group  | $3,065,943.08  | 365,880  | $8.38
Proposition 67 | Business | National Petition Management, Inc.  | $2,911,945.89  | 504,760  | $5.77
|  | TOTAL: | $44,712,092.93 |  |

## Newspaper endorsements[edit]

See also: 2016 ballot measure media endorsements

The tables below record the endorsements of ballot propositions on the November 8, 2016, ballot by major California newspapers.

Newspaper  | Proposition 51 |  Proposition 52 |  Proposition 53 |  Proposition 54 |  Proposition 55 |  Proposition 56 |  Proposition 57 |  Proposition 58 |  Proposition 59

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The Bakersfield Californian |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Chico Enterprise-Press |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
The Desert Sun |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
East Bay Express |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
East Bay Times |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
The Fresno Bee |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Hanford Sentinel |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Los Angeles Times |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Marin Independent Journal |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
The Mercury News |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
The Modesto Bee |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Monterey Herald and Santa Cruz Sentinel |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
The Press-Democrat |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
The Record |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
The Sacramento Bee |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
San Diego Free Press |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
San Diego Union-Tribune |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
San Francisco Bay Guardian |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
San Francisco Chronicle |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
San Francisco Examiner |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
San Mateo Daily Journal |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Southern California News Group (DB, LADN, OCR, PE, SGVT) |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Ventura County Star |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | Don't Vote
Newspaper  | Proposition 60 |  Proposition 61 |  Proposition 62 |  Proposition 63 |  Proposition 64 |  Proposition 65 |  Proposition 66 |  Proposition 67

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The Bakersfield Californian |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Chico Enterprise-Press |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
The Desert Sun |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
East Bay Express |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
East Bay Times |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
The Fresno Bee |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Hanford Sentinel |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Los Angeles Times |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Marin Independent Journal |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
The Mercury News |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
The Modesto Bee |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Monterey Herald and Santa Cruz Sentinel |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
The Press-Democrat |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
The Record |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
The Sacramento Bee |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
San Diego Free Press |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
San Diego Union-Tribune |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
San Francisco Bay Guardian |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
San Francisco Chronicle |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
San Francisco Examiner |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
San Mateo Daily Journal |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Southern California News Group (DB, LADN, OCR, PE, SGVT) |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Ventura County Star |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |

## Historical facts[edit]

See also: History of Initiative and Referendum in California and List of California ballot propositions

* Before 1960, citizen-initiated measures appeared only on general election ballots; from 1960 through 2011, California ballot measures appeared on primary, general, and special election ballots and were voted on in both even and odd-numbered years.
* In 2011, the California legislature approved a law requiring all citizen initiatives to go before voters at general elections in Novembers of even-numbered years.
* Between 1996 and 2016, Californians voted on 213 measures. Two measures that were originally approved in 2008 and 2012 were eventually overturned.
* The average number of measures on the ballot in even-numbered years between 1996 and 2016 was 18.
* From 1996 to 2016, the average number of measures on the ballot in odd-numbered years was about six. The last ballot measure before 2016 to appear during an odd-numbered year was on the ballot in 2009.
* Of the 215 measures voted on from 1996 through 2016, 54.9 percent were approved and 45.1 percent were defeated.

## How measures get on the ballot[edit]

### Citizen initiatives and veto referendums[edit]

California also allows measures to be placed on the ballot through citizen-led signature petitions, through which initiated constitutional amendments, initiated state statutes, and veto referendums can be put on the ballot.

To qualify an initiative for the election ballot in November 2016, petitioners needed to submit signatures early enough to allow for verification before a deadline on July 8, 2016. The California secretary of state recommended submitting signatures by the end of April 2016 to ensure signature validation was completed before this deadline.

Supporters of citizen initiatives are given a maximum of 180 days to circulate petitions and collect signatures, starting from when the California attorney general completes a review of their initiative wording, provides them a ballot title and allows for a 30-day citizen review and input period. Regardless of when the circulation period starts, however, the initiative measure must qualify at least 131 days before the next statewide election at which it is to be submitted to the voters, according to Article II, Section 8 of the California Constitution.[4]

In California, the number of signatures needed to qualify a measure for the ballot is based on the total number of votes cast for the office of governor. For initiated constitutional amendments, petitioners must collect signatures equal to 8 percent of the most recent gubernatorial vote. To place a statute or veto referendum on the ballot, signatures equal to 5 percent of this vote are required. In 2016, this meant that initiated constitutional amendments needed 585,407 signatures and statutes and veto referendums needed 365,880 signatures.

Low voter turnout in 2014 resulted in the lowest initiative signature requirements the state has seen since 1982. With the lower signature requirements came a jump in the number of citizen initiatives filed with the state and an increase in the number that reached the ballot as compared to the average over the last eight years. Fourteen of the 17 measures on the ballot in November 2016 were citizen initiatives. Voters decided three initiatives in 2014, 12 in 2012, and 11 in 2010. There were 15 citizens initiatives on the ballot in 2008, which was the last year before 2016 that this number was higher than 14.

### Legislative referrals[edit]

The California Legislature was projected to be in session from January 4, 2016, through August 31, 2016. In California, the legislature has the power to refer both constitutional amendments and state statutes, including bond issues, to the ballot. Legislatively-referred measures must be approved by two-thirds of the membership of each house of the legislature to make it on the ballot, where they then must be approved by the majority of voters to go into effect. The deadline for putting measures on the November 2016 ballot was on June 30, 2016, which means any legislative referrals approved after that date would go on the ballot in 2018.

The November 2016 ballot in California was finalized for 2016 regarding ballot measures in July 2016. No more new ballot measures could be added to the ballot. To see information about measures for the 2018 ballot, click here.

## Not on the ballot[edit]

See also: Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot

### Initiatives[edit]

Over 100 initiatives were filed with the California attorney general in time to potentially qualify to be on the ballot in 2016. Fourteen of them were certified for the ballot and appeared before voters on November 8, 2016.

The chart below lists measures that had the potential to be certified for the 2016 ballot but were not put on the ballot in 2016. The list is comprehensive regarding citizen initiatives, but it only lists a selection of proposed legislative referrals. Note that initiative sponsors sometimes file multiple versions of what is essentially the same ballot initiative with the Attorney General of California. Each version is given its own summary date and circulation date. This means that while the circulation deadline may come and go on one version of the initiative without signatures being filed, the initiative itself may still be alive, if its sponsors are pinning their hopes on a later version of the initiative with a deadline further in the future.

The  sign indicates that the measure did not qualify for the 2016 ballot, but it may qualify for the 2018 ballot. The  symbol indicates that the initiatives specific signatures deadline has passed and that the initiative petition has expired and can no longer qualify for a future election ballot.

Type  | Identifying #  | Description  | Result

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CISS | 15-0085A1 | Marijuana Control, Legalization and Revenue Initiative - Version 3 |
LBM | "Safe Neighborhood Parks, Rivers, and Coastal Protection" Bonds | Bonds |
LRCA | People’s Government Amendment | Con Language |
LRCA | Age to Vote in Primary Amendment | Suffrage |
LRCA | Public Bills Amendment | Gov't Acc |
LRCA | Legislative Control over University of California Amendment | Education |
CISS | 15-0086A1 | Marijuana Control, Legalization and Revenue Initiative - Version 4 |
CISS | 15-0087 | Marijuana Control, Legalization and Revenue Initiative - Version 5 |
CISS | 15-0088A1 | Water Supply Reliability and Drought Protection Initiative - Version 1 |
CISS | 15-0089A1 | Water Supply Reliability and Drought Protection Initiative - Version 2 |
CISS | 15-0090A1 | Water Supply Reliability and Drought Protection Initiative - Version 3 |
CISS | 15-0091A1 | Water Supply Reliability and Drought Protection Initiative - Version 4 |
CISS | 15-0092A1 | Water Supply Reliability and Drought Protection Initiative - Version 5 |
CISS | 15-0093A1 | Water Supply Reliability and Drought Protection Initiative - Version 6 |
CISS | 15-0094A1 | Water Supply Reliability and Drought Protection Initiative - Version 7 |
CISS | 15-0095A1 | Water Supply Reliability and Drought Protection Initiative - Version 8 |
CISS | 15-0097 | Donor Disclosure Initiative |
CISS | 15-0099A1 | California “Davis-Oliver and Kate’s Law,” Immigration Law Procedure Initiative |
CISS | 15-0104A1 | Cannabis Control and Taxation Initiative |
CICA | 15-0106 | Political Advertisement Sales Tax Initiative |
CICA/SS | 15-0107A1 | Reallocation of Bond Authority to Water Storage Initiative |
CISS | 15-0108A1 | Online Voting System Initiative |
CISS | 15-0109A1 | High-Speed Rail Bond Suspension Initiative |
CISS | 15-0110A1 | Disability Access Litigation Initiative |
CICA | 15-0112 | Secret Ballot Voting in State Legislature Initiative |
CICA | 15-0113 | Disability Access Violations Initiative |
CISS | 15-0114A1 | Elimination of all charter schools initiative |
CICA | 15-0116A1 | Alternative local funding for water, sewer and flood control services initiative |
CISS | 15-0117A1 | Electronic submission of "mail-in ballots" initiative (version 1) |
CISS | 15-0118A1 | Electronic submission of "mail-in ballots" initiative (version 2) |
CISS | 15-0119 | Marijuana Control, Legalization and Revenue Initiative - Version 6 |
CISS | 15-0120 | Marijuana Control, Legalization and Revenue Initiative - Version 7 |
CICA/SS | 15-0122 | Removal of all partisan information from state ballots |
CISS | 15-0123 | Healthcare Decision-Making Privacy Rights |
CISS | 15-0124 | Additional oversight for jurisdictions designated as "over-policed" |
CICA | 15-0125A1 | California State Legislator Ethics Rules Modification Initiative |
CISS | 16-0001A1 | California "Clean Environment" Initiative |
CISS | 16-0002 | Electronic Signature Gathering Initiative |
CISS | 15-0111 | Hospital Executive Compensation Limit Initiative |
CISS | 15-0084A1 | California Three Strikes Sentencing Definition Initiative |
CICA | 15-0082A2 | California Sports Market Trade Regulation Amendment |
CISS | 15-0032 | "Fair Wage Act of 2016" $15 Minimum Wage Initiative |
CICA | 15-0076A1 | Voter Empowerment Amendment |
CICA | 15-0077A1 | Government Pension Cap Amendment |
CISS | 15-0078A1 | Local Control and Accountability in Education Initiative |
CISS | 15-0079A1 | "Effective Teacher" Waiting Period Extension Initiative |
CISS | 15-0075A1 | Control, Regulate and Tax Cannabis Initiative |
CICA | 15-0072 | "Definition of a Person" Amendment |
CISS | 15-0073 | Holocaust Denial Speech Restrictions Initiative |
CICA | 15-0068 | Voters' Right to Know Act |
CISS | 15-0069 | "Safe and Drug-Free Community" Initiative |
CICA | 15-0070 | Invest in California's Children Initiative |
CISS | 15-0064 | Public Assistance Benefits Eligibility Initiative |
CISS | 15-0058 | Marijuana Legalization with Local Regulation Initiative - Version 1 |
CISS | 15-0059 | Childhood Sexual Abuse Initiative |
CISS | 15-0060 | Marijuana Legalization with Local Regulation Initiative - Version 2 |
CICA | 15-0061 | Political Advertisement Sales Tax Initiative |
CISS | 15-0057 | Campaign Public Funding Ban Repeal |
CISS | 15-0050 | Marijuana and Hemp Legalization Initiative |
CISS | 15-0049 | Recreational and Medical Marijuana Legalization Initiative |
CISS | 15-0052 | Marijuana Legalization Commission Initiative |
CICA | 15-0053 | Nonpartisan Ballots Initiative |
CISS | 15-0054 | Lower Drinking Age to 18 Initiative |
CISS | 15-0055 | Nuclear Power Initiative |
CISS | 15-0056 | Publicly-owned Electric Utilities Initiative |
CISS | 15-0051 | Federal Campaign Advertisements Certification Initiative |
CICA | 15-0047 | Abortion Access Restriction Initiative |
CISS | 15-0048 | "Three Strikes" Initiative |
CISS | 15-0105A1 | Raise the Wage and Paid Sick Days Initiative |
CISS | 15-0037 | "Sovereignty Referendum" Initiative |
CISS | 15-0038 | Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Initiative |
CISS | 15-0039 | Marijuana Control, Legalization and Revenue Initiative - Version 2 |
CICA | 15-0040 |  Unemancipated Minor Abortion Access Initiative |
CICA | 15-0041 | Right to Medical Marijuana Initiative |
CISS | 15-0042 | "Preservation and Modernization of California Direct Democracy" Initiative |
CISS | 15-0043 | "Lifting Children and Families Out of Poverty Act" Initiative |
CISS | 15-0044 | "Compassionate and Sensible Access of Marijuana" Initiative |
CICA | 15-0045 | Legislature Expansion Initiative |
CISS | 15-0046 | Chief of Protocol for California's International Relations Act |
CISS | 15-0036 | "Safe Communities and Parks" Marijuana Legalization Initiative |
CISS | N/A  | "Federal Government Censure" Initiative |
CICA/CISS | 13-0063 | "Six Californias" |
CICA | 14-0009 | Public Vote on Bonds |
CICA | 14-0010 | Resident Deportation Ban Initiative |
CICA | 14-0012 | "Innocent Human Life" Initiative |
CICA | 14-0013 | "Secret Abortions" Initiative - Version 1 |
CICA | 14-0014 | "Secret Abortions" Initiative - Version 2 |
CISS | 15-0001 | Nuclear Waste Regulation Initiative |
CISS | 15-0002 |  Electric Utility District Initiative |
CISS | 15-0006 | "Devolution" Panel Initiative |
CISS | 15-0007 | Spousal Support Awards Initiative |
CISS | 15-0008 | “Sodomite Suppression” Initiative |
CISS | 15-0010 | California “Reasonable Force” Specification Initiative |
CISS | 15-0011 | National Flag Initiative |
CISS | 15-0012 | Out-of-State Political Contributions Initiative |
CICA | 15-0013 | Governor to President Initiative |
CISS | 15-0014 | "Intolerant Jackass" Initiative |
CICA | 15-0015 | Neighborhood Legislature Initiative |
CISS | 15-0016 | “Shellfish Suppression” Initiative |
CISS | 15-0017 | Craft Cannabis Initiative |
CICA | 15-0018 | Medical Marijuana Access Initiative |
CISS | 15-0019 | "Personal Privacy Protection" Initiative |
CISS | 15-0020 | Marijuana Control, Legalization and Revenue Initiative - Version 1 |
CISS | 15-0021 | Bottled Water Taxes and Drought Label Initiative |
CISS | 15-0022 | Citizens Services Agency Initiative |
CISS | 15-0023 | Religious Institutions and Crime Initiative |
CISS | 15-0024 | "Responsible Use Act" Initiative |
CISS | 15-0025 | Parental Notification of Abortion Initiative |
CISS | 15-0027 | Cannabis Legalization Initiative |
CISS | 15-0028 | Homeowners and Renters Tax Relief Initiative |
CISS | 15-0029 | Tobacco Tax Initiative - Version 1 |
CISS | 15-0030 | Tobacco Tax Initiative - Version 2 |
CISS | 15-0031 | University Lecturer Compensation Calculation Initiative |
CICA | 15-0033 | Public Vote on Pensions Initiative |
CISS | 15-0034 | Ferret Legalization Initiative |
VR | 15-0035 | Mandatory Schoolchildren Vaccination Referendum |
CICA | 15-0062 | Abortion Restriction and Parental Notification Initiative - Version 1 |
CICA | 15-0063 | Abortion Restriction and Parental Notification Initiative - Version 2 |
CICA | 15-0065 | Tax Extension to Fund Education Initiative |
VR | 15-0080 | Reverendum to overturn assisted death law |
CISS | 15-0100 | Charitable Hospital Executive Compensation Initiative |
CISS | 15-0101 | "Fair Healthcare Pricing" Initiative |
CISS | 15-0102 | Charity Care Initiative |

Below is some general information about the citizen initiative process in California.

### Cost of processing[edit]

It costs the Attorney General of California about $5,000 per filed initiative to implement the required process of issuing a ballot title and summary. The fee to file an initiative was increased to $2,000 in early September 2015—a tenfold increase from the original price of $200 that was in place since 1943.[5]

### Submitted to Attorney General[edit]

When an initiative proponent has prepared the text of a ballot initiative they hope to qualify for the ballot, they must submit this text to the "Initiative Coordinator" at the Office of the Attorney General of California with an accompanying letter requesting that the attorney general's office prepare a ballot title and summary of the proposal.

Once the attorney general's office has prepared that title and summary, they send a copy of it to the initiative's sponsor and to the California secretary of state's office. Each initiative is given a "summary date." This date is determined by the attorney general's office and is the date that they provide the summary to the sponsor. Each initiative then has a circulation deadline that is 180 days after its summary date, while proposed veto referendums have a circulation deadline that is 90 days after the legislation targeted by the referendum was signed by the Governor of California.

### Cleared for circulation[edit]

Once the Office of the Attorney General of California has prepared a ballot title and a summary of a proposed initiative, the initiative is considered to be "cleared for circulation." Its supporters then have 180 days from the date that the title and summary were prepared to collect and submit to election officials the required signatures. Many times, initiative sponsors submit more than one version of a proposed initiative to the attorney general's office. When this happens, a circulation deadline for an earlier version may elapse with no signatures having been submitted, but the general idea of that initiative is still in play because its sponsors have instead set their sights on circulating a version filed later on that has, or will have, a later circulation deadline.

See also: Signature requirements for ballot measures in California

The signature deadlines for the approved-for-circulation initiatives are based on when the Attorney General of California provided a ballot title and summary for the proposal. Although each initiative has it's own signature deadline, to qualify for the November 2016 election ballot, specifically, the California secretary of state recommended submitting signatures by late April 2016. If a sufficient signature petition is submitted before an individual initiative deadline but too late to qualify for the 2016 ballot, the initiative would be put on the 2018 ballot.

## State profile[edit]

Demographic data for California

| California| U.S.
Total population:| 38,993,940| 316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):| 155,779| 3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:| 61.8%| 73.6%
Black/African American:| 5.9%| 12.6%
Asian:| 13.7%| 5.1%
Native American:| 0.7%| 0.8%
Pacific Islander:| 0.4%| 0.2%
Two or more:| 4.5%| 3%
Hispanic/Latino:| 38.4%| 17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:| 81.8%| 86.7%
College graduation rate:| 31.4%| 29.8%
Income
Median household income:| $61,818| $53,889
Persons below poverty level:| 18.2%| 11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in California.

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**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

### Presidential voting pattern[edit]

See also: Presidential voting trends in California

California voted for the Democratic candidate in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.

More California coverage on Ballotpedia

* Elections in California
* United States congressional delegations from California
* Public policy in California
* Endorsers in California
* California fact checks
* More...

## Recent news[edit]

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms California 2016 ballot propositions. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

California 2016 ballot propositions - Google News

## External links[edit]

### Basic information[edit]

* California Secretary of State Ballot Measures
* California Secretary of State Ballot Initiatives

### Other resources[edit]

* Upvote California Podcasts on Ballot Measures

## See also[edit]

| Suggest a link

|

* 2016 ballot measures
* List of California ballot propositions
* Laws governing ballot measures in California
* Campaign finance requirements for California ballot measures

## Additional reading[edit]

* Capitol Weekly, "2016 ballot a fight over everything," June 22, 2015
* Los Angeles Daily News, "Expect a ballot initiative carnival in 2016: Thomas Elias," February 16, 2015
* The Sacramento Bee, "Jerry Brown has nearly $24 million for future ballot campaigns," January 29, 2015
* Fox & Hounds, "Top 10 Measures Likely to Appear on November 2016 California Ballot," December 15, 2014
* San Francisco Chronicle, "2016 election poised for initiative avalanche," December 11, 2014

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ San Francisco Chronicle, "Leading California marijuana measure gets NORML seal of approval," February 23, 2016
2. ↑ Cal Coast News, "Leading California marijuana measure emerges," February 23, 2016
3. ↑ Los Angeles Times, "That blockbuster California ballot will be a $452-million battle," February 16, 2016
4. ↑ LegiScan, "Senate Bill 1253 text," accessed September 29, 2014
5. ↑ The Sacramento Bee, "Jerry Brown signs bill raising California’s ballot initiative fee," September 1, 2015

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